Director, Industrial Engineering

ABOUT THE TEAM

Anduril’s Manufacturing Engineering Team is seeking a Director, Industrial Engineering to lead IE strategy and execution for the Air Defense & Strike (AD&S) division. The Manufacturing Team is responsible for rapidly iterating and building cutting-edge defense hardware — including static equipment, moving ground equipment, sensors, undersea, and flight vehicles — and scaling these products across our production footprint, including our new 5M sq ft manufacturing facility, Arsenal-1.

Industrial Engineering at Anduril operates in a matrix with a Center of Excellence (COE) and embedded IEs directly into the divisions they support. Every embedded IE takes day-to-day direction and priorities from their business line, while the central IE organization provides the methodology, standards, tools, mentorship, career development, surge coverage, and cross-divisional visibility that make each individual IE more effective than they could be on their own. The Director, IE — AD&S is the senior IE leader dedicated to one of Anduril’s highest-growth, most operationally complex divisions — owning the IE strategy, team, and results for AD&S and operating as a peer member of the division’s production leadership team.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As the Director, Industrial Engineering — AD&S, you will own the industrial engineering function for the Air Defense & Strike division end-to-end. You will build, lead, and develop the IE team embedded in AD&S — hiring the right people, designing the team structure, and setting the IE agenda in lockstep with the division’s production strategy and ramp trajectory and COE standards and enterprise vision / system. You report to the Director of Industrial Engineering (central IE CoE) and sit as a peer alongside AD&S production leadership, connected to the VP of Production, Director of Manufacturing Engineering, and Program Directors who shape division priorities.

This is a division-level leadership role with enterprise accountability. You are not inheriting a mature, steady-state operation — AD&S is in active ramp across multiple product lines, standing up new production systems, scaling from prototype through low-rate into full-rate production, and doing so at a pace that demands IE leadership who can build the plane while flying it. You will define what IE looks like for AD&S: which capabilities to stand up first, how to staff and structure the team, where to invest in labor standards, layouts, simulation, and capacity planning, and how IE integrates into the division’s NPI and production ramp cadence.

You will translate company-wide IE standards and the Manufacturing Development Plan (MDP) into AD&S-specific execution — adapting central methodology to the division’s unique product mix, production maturity, and operational tempo while maintaining consistency with enterprise IE standards and Core 4 reporting. You are accountable for IE outcomes across the division: labor standards coverage, layout quality, line balance efficiency, capacity model accuracy, and the measurable impact of IE on AD&S production performance.

The right person for this role is a seasoned IE or manufacturing engineering leader who thrives in start-up and ramp environments — someone who has built teams from scratch, stood up production systems, and driven measurable operational impact in fast-moving, complex manufacturing. You have deep technical credibility in IE fundamentals but lead through strategy and people: setting vision, building organizational capability, and creating the systems that let a growing team deliver at scale. You are comfortable navigating ambiguity, making decisions with incomplete information, and operating at the intersection of divisional execution and enterprise IE strategy. You communicate with clarity and conviction to senior leadership and are energized by the challenge of building something new in a high-stakes environment.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Divisional IE Strategy and Execution

• Own the IE strategy for AD&S — defining the roadmap, capability priorities, and investment plan aligned to the division’s ramp trajectory, NPI pipeline, and business objectives.
• Translate company-wide IE standards and the MDP process into AD&S-specific execution — ensuring IE deliverables (labor standards, layouts, line balances, capacity models) are completed at the right maturity gates and integrated into division planning.
• Drive Core 4 metrics performance (labor hours per unit, line balance efficiency, throughput, units per square foot) — setting targets, tracking results, and ensuring IE work moves the numbers that matter to AD&S. IE provides the roadmap to scale.
• Serve as the primary IE interface to AD&S leadership for capacity questions, ramp feasibility, layout approvals, make-vs-buy analysis, and production system design. Connect AD&S needs to central IE capabilities and enterprise resources.

Team Building and Leadership

• Build the AD&S IE team into a high-performing, right-sized organization — designing the structure, defining roles, leading hiring, and onboarding IEs, IE Leads, and IE Technicians aligned to the division’s product lines and production stages.
• Directly manage the embedded IE team — setting expectations, driving accountability, conducting performance reviews, and investing in the growth and career development of every team member. Own the headcount plan and budget.
• Develop high-potential talent, build succession depth, and ensure every IE is proficient in core methodology (time studies, MODAPTS/MTM, line balancing, layout design, capacity modeling, Core 4 measurement).

Production System Design and NPI

• Lead IE involvement in production line stand-ups and NPI ramps — from process characterization and layout design through labor standards development, line balancing, rate-readiness validation, and system optimization.
• Own production line and workstation layout design — cell configurations, material flow, equipment placement, and spatial planning for both low-rate and full-rate production using simulation-backed approaches.
• Drive capacity planning and production modeling — ensuring AD&S has accurate capacity models, proactively identifying bottlenecks and constraints, and supporting capital investment decisions with IE analysis.

Cross-Functional Partnership and Communication

• Operate as a peer member of the AD&S production leadership team — shaping production strategy, influencing capital and staffing decisions, and representing IE in all forums where production decisions are made.
• Build strong working relationships across Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, and Facilities. Represent AD&S IE in cross-divisional forums, bringing enterprise best practices back to the division.
• Be present on the floor. Walk the lines, build credibility with operators and supervisors, and model the Gemba-first, data-driven culture the IE team stands for. Communicate IE impact to senior leadership with clarity and conviction.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Systems Engineering, Operations Research, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, or production operations, with demonstrated depth across multiple IE disciplines (labor standards, layout design, capacity planning, simulation).
• 5+ years managing industrial engineers or manufacturing engineers, including experience managing managers or leads — with demonstrated hiring, org design, and team-building experience.
• Experience building or scaling an IE team in a ramp or start-up production environment — designing team structure, hiring into it, and standing up capabilities from early stages.
• Deep technical credibility in core IE fundamentals: time studies, labor standards (MTM/MODAPTS), line balancing, layout design, capacity planning, and production system design.
• Experience operating as a peer of production leadership — influencing strategy, owning budgets and headcount, and communicating IE impact to VP-level audiences.
• Track record of driving measurable operational improvement — IE initiatives that moved production metrics and can be quantified.
• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export-controlled information or facilities.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations Research, MBA, or a related field.
• Experience in defense, aerospace, or other highly regulated, high-mix manufacturing environments with complex compliance and traceability requirements.
• Experience standing up a centralized or embedded IE function from scratch — methodology selection, standards development, tooling, and organizational adoption.
• Proficiency in simulation software (FlexSim, Arena, AnyLogic, or equivalent), data analytics/visualization (Power BI, Tableau), or experience integrating IE deliverables with MES/ERP platforms.
• Experience designing and commissioning new production lines or manufacturing facilities.
• Active security clearance, or ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.

Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams

Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.

To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:

• No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.

• Please always verify communications:
  • Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
  • Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com. 

• Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.

• What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.